By Jonathan Easton

Discovery has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to next month’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Italy.

Discovery will stream all 52 matches from the tournament live from Cameroon on discovery+ from January 9 through to the final on February 6.

The competition is of great interest to fans in Italy, with top Serie A players such as Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Inter Milan’s Ismaël Bennacer set to represent their nations.

CEO of Discovery Italia, Alessandro Araimo,said: “We are very pleased to host such a prestigious sport event on discovery+, further enhancing our premium sports offer, that represents content of absolute value for our subscribers. discovery+ will be the destination for all fans of this fascinating and iconic competition, brightened by the many champions performing in our Serie A league.

“It kicks off a huge year of sport on discovery+ Italia with some of the biggest events including the Australian Open tennis and the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 following soon after, offering fans unrivalled streaming access to the widest range of world-class competitions.”.

CAF General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba, said: “The status and prestige of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations is clearly demonstrated by the demand of its continent from our media rights holders and partners. We are confident that the Cameroon edition will once again provide great entertainment to millions of football fans across the world. We welcome on board Discovery Italia, Eurosport and we are looking forward to a successful partnership in January and February 2022.”